


Assurances

by 3RatMoon



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Male My Unit | Byleth, Religion Kink, Smut, Trans Male Character, Undernegotiated Kink, just about every emotion, no beta we die like nonbinary warriors
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-26
Updated: 2020-01-26
Packaged: 2021-02-27 03:29:09
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,691
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22410316
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/3RatMoon/pseuds/3RatMoon
Summary: Byleth is interested in Seteth, but he wants to know that Seteth is interested in him, and not just his connection to the Goddess.
Relationships: My Unit | Byleth/Seteth
Comments: 3
Kudos: 122





	Assurances

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to everyone who reassured me while I wrote this! I went through a lot of ups and downs with this piece
> 
> Re: the religion kink, I interpreted "the children of the Goddess" in a more vague metaphorical sense, so it doesn't strike me as off as if Sothis was literally Seteth's mother. If it IS as literal as that.... I guess this is an AU then, lol...

If Byleth was honest with himself, he’d had his eyes on Seteth since he first arrived at Garreg Mach. Maybe he had a thing for serious church types. Still, he made sure to be civil— no one except his father seemed to get when he was joking, anyway.

And so, Byleth’s relationship with Seteth remained civil, but mostly distant. Byleth had little opportunity to speak with Seteth without the Archbishop present, and even then, it was only about work. Both of them were busy, after all. Seteth was in charge of administration for much of the highest workings of the Church of Seiros, and Byleth’s students were a handful even before more began to request transfers to his class. It was overwhelming, and so many months passed without Byleth feeling like he knew Seteth any better, or even knew him at all.

Just as Byleth was beginning to give up, however, and opportunity presented itself in the form of Seteth himself walking the halls alone. It was the afternoon, and the students had finished their lessons for the day, so Byleth had time. He stood from the bench he was resting on and jogged to catch up with the other man’s lengthy stride.

“Good afternoon, Seteth,” Byleth said in greeting. “Where are you off to?”

“And to you, Professor,” said Seteth. “I am simply on my way to see the Quartermaster about some tea I put in an order for. My current stock has tragically run dry.”

“May I walk with you?” Byleth asked. It seemed simple enough of a request, but he found his heart raced at the effort of asking.

Seteth paused, then said. “You may. It has been a time since we last spoke, hasn’t it? How are the students?”

It was easy to get drawn into simple business conversation with Seteth. He was good at remaining cordial, scarily good. Byleth had seen him in action many times before yet he was most of the way to the cellars with Seteth before he even realized what was happening.

Taking a moment to breathe, he said, “So, what do you do besides work?”

Seteth’s eyebrows rose, and Byleth kicked himself internally. He wished he had an ounce of the other man’s grace.

“Well, I don’t have too much time outside my office, unfortunately. But, when I do have the time, I do enjoy writing,” Seteth said.

Byleth almost thanked the Goddess. “Oh? What do you write?” He hoped he didn’t sound too eager.

Seteth ducked his head a little. He looked almost sheepish. “I… like to write children’s tales. Fables, stories of that type. I especially like writing about the Saints of Seiros.”

Byleth couldn’t help but smile at that. “How pious of you,” he said.

Seteth looked aghast at something, but Byleth couldn’t tell what.

“I, yes, I suppose,” Seteth said. “Truly, though, I do believe that story itself has the power to do many things. They can provide comfort or joy in difficult times, or spur them on to action.”

Byleth felt the warmth of success in his stomach. He was hoping for something just like that— some hint of what drives Seteth, outside of his duty.

Seteth paused again, looking at Byleth. “People have said that you never smile,” he started hesitantly. “I am pleased that the rumors are untrue.”

Talk like that wasn’t unfamiliar to Byleth. He’d always had trouble emoting in a way that other people understood. For a while, he just suppressed what little emotion he had, because people always seemed to misinterpret him. However, in the months since he came to the monastery, something in him had started to relax again. Other people had pointed it out already— his father for one— but Seteth’s words in particular seemed to have more of an effect on him. He felt a tingling warmth in his face, like he had just stepped inside from the cold.

“Oh! My apologies— I didn’t mean to embarrass you,” Seteth said suddenly.

“It’s quite alright,” Byleth said automatically. How could Seteth tell?

For a moment, silence stretched between them. Then, Seteth said, “We are nearly there. If you are amenable to the idea, I would like it if you were to join me for some tea afterward.”

Byleth’s eyebrows went up in surprise. He was expecting Seteth to want to go back to his work as soon as possible, but he wasn’t about to let the opportunity pass him by.

Somehow, the tea breaks became a regular occurrence. Conversation always started off with work, the easiest and safest topic. However, as the tea cooled in their hands, they eventually loosened up, and subjects began to wander.

“I lent my manuscript to one of the students recently, and she returned it with a wonderful illustration,” Seteth said one afternoon. “She is quite shy, so it took some convincing, but she seems willing to work on a few more for the book.”

“Oh, that’s great,” Byleth said.

Seteth nodded and smiled in a way that made Byleth’s stomach feel strange. “I could almost call it the work of the Goddess.”

One of the unfortunate things about loosening up more, is that Byleth sometimes made expressions that he didn’t mean to make.

Seteth sighed. “I’ve offended you. My apologies.”

“No, no,” Byleth hurried to amend. “You needn’t repress your faith around me simply because I have a complicated relationship with the Church.”

“I appreciate the kindness,” Seteth said. “However, I also know that I have added to that complicated relationship myself.”

Byleth shook his head. “I understand why you haven’t told me everything you know about what happened when I was born. I’ve been in ignorance about it my whole life— waiting a little bit longer so you can be sure won’t hurt me. I trust you. And that’s not just because I know how committed you are to your duties. I know you better as a person, now, too.”

Seteth paused, looking at Byleth for a long moment. “I… thank you,” he said eventually. “I… believe that I have gained much from getting to know you as well. I have given up my distrust of you since you saved Flayn, of course, but I feel now that you could very well be one of my better friends.”

Byleth felt that strange feeling in his stomach again.

“I’m… I’m glad.”

Their conversations continued even as their worries mounted. Byleth worried about the students, especially Dmitri and Edelgard. Seteth worried about Flayn (of course) and Lady Rhea (more concerning). They confided in each other during those afternoons, the tea sometimes going cold, untouched as they talked.

“Rhea is concerning me more and more,” Seteth said once. “She’s been… saying things… and when I ask what she means, she won’t tell me anything more. I have been her closest confidant for so many years, and now to have her cut herself off from me…”

Byleth felt a hurt in his heart at the look on Seteth’s face. He seemed truly lost. Before he knew what he was doing, Byleth had reached out and covered Seteth’s hand with his own. Seteth took in a little breath, but he didn’t move his hand from under Byleth’s, even as their conversation lingered into the evening.

“Ah, it’s gotten late,” Seteth scoffed at himself. “And I still have a few reports to read over…”

Byleth looked at Seteth, took in his tired eyes. “You should get some sleep,” he said.

Seteth paused halfway to his desk. He looked at Byleth, then back at the papers he had stacked up according to region and priority, waiting for his attention.

“You’re right… I should,” he admitted.

He went back to the low table they had been sitting around and picked up the lantern he had lit not an hour before. Byleth followed him out into the hall and down to the dormitories without even thinking about it, until they were both stopping in front of Seteth’s door.

“Oh,” Byleth said dully. He probably could use some sleep, too. “Uh, goodnight.”

“Goodnight,” Seteth said.

Still, even when he had opened the door and stepped in, he was still looking at Byleth. They both looked at each other for several minutes, as if afraid of what would happen when the moment was over.

Then, so quietly that Byleth barely heard it, Seteth said, “Stay.”

“What?” Byleth couldn’t possibly have heard correctly.

Seteth swallowed. “Stay with me. Just tonight.”

Byleth didn’t know what to say. He looked at Seteth, trying to read what he saw there. But, he had never known the other man to say anything that he did not mean.

Slowly, Byleth stepped into Seteth’s room. Seteth let him in, and quietly closed the door behind him. The whole time, they did not look away from each other. But then, something broke, and they were kissing each other as if the other’s mouth was water and they were dying of thirst.

They did not speak to each other, even as they moved slowly to Seteth’s bed, shedding clothes along the way. Byleth latched his mouth on Seteth’s neck, and Seteth’s hand went for Byleth’s cock, circling it deftly. They drew small noises from each other, gasps and growls and moans, but there was not a word in it.

They ended with Byleth riding Seteth, Seteth’s hands on Byleth’s hips to urge him on. Byleth leaned down to kiss Seteth, their harsh breaths mingling. Seteth’s face was twisted in a grimace. He reached with one hand to tangle in Byleth’s hair, pulling, and a shock of pleasure-pain went through Byleth’s body. He’s sure he made a very undignified noise, but Seteth didn’t seem to notice. He kept his hand tight in Byleth’s hair like it was an anchor, and Byleth could feel the touch dragging him swiftly to the edge.

Just as his orgasm overwhelmed him, he heard Seteth gasp out his name.

They slept tangled together, afterwards, but when Byleth woke up, Seteth was gone.

Byleth tried not to read into it as he went through his day, but he had a vague feeling in his stomach that spanned the hours. He almost considered not going to Seteth’s office for their usual tea break before pushing the thought aside. He was not about to let the previous night eat into the relationship he had built with the other man.

When Byleth walked into Seteth’s office and saw him turn with a smile, as he always did, he felt the feeling in his stomach start to abate.

Still, he couldn’t leave things unsaid.

“So, uh… I missed you getting up this morning,” he said, his voice suddenly quiet like he was afraid of being overheard.

Byleth could swear he saw Seteth’s face go pink. “I… yes,” he said. “I didn’t want to wake you. And…” He shoulders sagged. “And, I was uncertain as to what to do. I haven’t done this in some time, and I needed to think alone for a little while. I should apologize.”

Byleth sat back in his chair. He felt… relieved. “I haven’t really done this, either. It’s okay. It can be just the one night, like you said.” Byleth swallowed. His mouth was dry. “But… it doesn’t have to be.”

Seteth’s eyebrows went up in surprise, but then he smiled. “Alright,” he said.

What followed was a strange time for Byleth. Tensions were mounting within the monastery and without. Byleth was possibly fused with the Goddess Herself. However, amidst all these things, Byleth got to see Seteth regularly, and they comforted each other as best as they could.

Sex with Seteth was gratifying, to say the least. He was experienced and attentive as a lover, and he seemed to love nothing more than wringing orgasm after orgasm from Byleth’s body.

Then, of course, Byleth had to go and ruin it.

He sat up in Seteth’s bed, watching Seteth watch him as he undressed. It made Byleth feel powerful, the way Seteth couldn’t keep his eyes off him. The other man crawled across the bed on his hands and knees. He looked like a man begging.

“Are you here to worship?” Byleth asked.

Byleth hadn’t meant it seriously, but then something shifted in Seteth’s expression. He sank lower on his knees, like a bow.

“Yes,” Seteth said, his voice soft and reverent in a way Seteth had never heard before. “I’m here to pay tribute to my God.”

That sent a shiver of something down Byleth’s spine. He shifted how he was sitting, spreading his legs wider. “Come, then, and pay your tribute.”

Seteth came to him, head still bowed submissively. He only glanced up for a moment, checking, before he leaned in and put his mouth on Byleth’s cock. Byleth hissed in a breath, his hand going to Seteth’s head. Seteth laved his tongue over the whole of him, between his folds, then returned his attention to his cock. His mouth made obscene sounds as he worked, and Byleth shivered under him. His hand tightened in Seteth’s hair, making him groan. He reached down to take a hold of his own erection, squeezing.

“Don’t touch yourself,” Byleth said, commanding. “Not until you are finished.”

Seteth moaned again, moving his hand back, and ate Byleth out with even greater fervor, if such a thing was possible. Byleth normally couldn’t get off on Seteth’s mouth alone, but he found that he was swiftly reaching the edge. He rocked his hips into Seteth, his voice turning breathy.

“That’s good, keep going, keep— _ah_ —”

Byleth arched off the bed when he came, letting out one long moan. Still twitching, he pulled Seteth up by his hair and kissed him, devoured him, tasting himself on his lips.

“You did well,” Byleth said, reaching for Seteth’s cock. “Now, come and receive my blessing.”

“My Lord—” Seteth choked out.

Byleth held him as he jerked him off, his other hand cradling his head, fingers still tangled in his hair. Seteth panted and squirmed. His cock throbbed in Byleth’s hand.

“My Lord, my Light and Life, _please—”_

“Come for me, Seteth,” Byleth said.

And Seteth did, letting out a wanton sort of sound Byleth had never heard from him before. Byleth worked him through it, until Seteth stopped shaking and went limp in his arms at last.

Then, suddenly, everything fell apart. The feeling in Byleth’s stomach resolved into revulsion, into shame and disgust. He saw himself on a throne with Seteth kneeling before him in total supplication, and he couldn’t want anything less.

“Byleth?”

He realized that he had stood up. As if something else was propelling him, he went and picked up his clothes. His hands were shaking.

“Byleth, what’s the matter?” Seteth stood up as well, approaching him, his voice quickly becoming saturated with worry.

Byleth shook his head. “I can’t.”

He stopped only when Seteth cupped his face with both of his hands, looking at him. His eyes shone like glass in the dim yellow light. He looked devastated.

“Please, talk to me,” he said.

Byleth drew his shirt up in front of himself. He felt too exposed without his clothes on. He didn’t like being this vulnerable. But Seteth held him there, pleading with his gaze. Because it was him, Byleth didn’t pull away, tried to pull something, anything, out of the storm in his head.

“Not right now,” he forced out. “Just— let me clear my head.”

Seteth was still for a moment, but then he nodded. His lips were pressed thin, his brow furrowed. He was steeling himself. He stepped back.

Byleth couldn’t look at him as he dressed. He fumbled with his buttons, everything seeming to slip through his fingers even as he tried desperately to get them to work. It was an agonizing few minutes, with Seteth watching all the while, sitting still naked on the bed. Byleth eventually just gathered the last few things in his arms and made for the door. 

His hand on the handle, he spared one last look at Seteth. Seteth looked back, carefully impassive, but when he turned his head away, the light caught on a wet smear on his cheek.

Byleth carefully closed the door behind himself.

He hardly slept that night. Everything reminded him of the seemingly countless dangers ahead. He thought of the warnings his father left him, of the unanswered questions of his birth. He thought of Sothis. He thought of the Death Knight and Flame Emperor and the man who trapped him in the void. These thoughts were not new to him. Normally, he weathered them a little easier when he had the warm and solid presence of another with him, but now the thought just fed his cycling.

The next morning, when he showed up to class haunted and listless, he saw a couple students exchange glances. One leaned over and whispered to Flayn. However, no one commented to Byleth directly, and for that he was thankful. He’d had the whole night to think about what to say to Seteth, and while he wasn’t entirely sure about the details, he didn’t have the luxury of time. The visit to the Tomb was the next day, and he refused to go without talking to Seteth first.

He started towards Seteth’s office almost as soon as class was over. He felt cold walking through the halls, but his hands were sweating in his gloves. When he walked into Seteth’s office, it felt like everything stilled, tilting on a precipice. Byleth tried to shake it off, but the moment still felt enormously important.

Seteth stood up from his desk the moment he saw him. “Byleth.”

Byleth closed the door. Seteth rushed forward, taking his hands.

“I’m glad you came,” Seteth said. “If I may, I would like to apologize first. I should have asked if it was alright with you before I did anything, I…”

Byleth shook his head. “I didn’t even realize until the end.” He looked down at his hands in Seteth’s. He took a breath. “I said before that I was alright, not knowing the full truth, but I didn’t realize how much what I _do_ know has been eating at me. Maybe it’s because of tomorrow, but…” He sighed and squeezed Seteth’s hands, as if that was enough to express everything he couldn’t put into words.

“I know. I should have considered that. I’m sorry, Byleth,” Seteth said.

“You don’t need to apologize. Just…” Byleth swallowed. “Just, promise me that you see me as more than just a… a vessel for the divine. That what you find appealing about me is _me.”_

Seteth kissed their joined hands. “I promise that everything I admire about you is yours,” he said. “Your voice, your hands, your analytical mind, your strength and grace…”

Byleth couldn’t help but smile at the last point.

Seteth smiled back. “I could go on if you like.”

Byleth shook his head. “No, I believe you.”

Seteth pulled him into his arms and kissed him soft and slow and sweet.

“Can I stay with you tonight?” Byleth asked quietly. “I don’t know that I will be able to sleep otherwise.”

“Of course,” Seteth said, and kissed him again. “Of course.”

Byleth didn’t think he was going to get a revelation from the Goddess, but he had a gut feeling that _something_ was going to happen, and he had been right. Preparing for the attack on the monastery after the encounter at the Tomb took up all his time. He hardly saw Seteth at all, except for the nights when Byleth went to his room, unable to sleep alone. The last night before the Imperial Army was set to arrive, neither of them slept. Instead, they spent the night holding each other in silence, providing each other the comfort of touch when words failed them.

Then, the battle came, and Byleth fell, and everyone thought they were dead.

Byleth felt like he had only been out for a moment, but he had been missing for five years. He saw it in the monastery, dusty and half-abandoned, partly ruins. He saw it in his students, who all looked older and worn down by the war that had been going since that first attack on Garreg Mach. But all of them were alive and had somehow kept the promise they all made five years previous, each taking turns to greet their old Professor in their own way. Many of those ways were hugs. Everything was so much that Byleth found it dizzying, unable to get out the question he’d had stuck in his throat since he stepped foot in the monastery.

But then, somehow, there he was. One of the students must have gone to find him in the commotion. Everyone went quiet as he approached.

He looked at Byleth like he was a ghost. Byleth supposed that he was.

Then, Byleth was caught in Seteth’s embrace. Byleth thought for a moment that he could feel the time that had passed, for he ached in Seteth’s arms like he had never ached before. He couldn’t imagine how Seteth felt. He vaguely heard a woop from one of the students, and the chatter resumed.

Seteth pulled away from the embrace, the pink of a blush looking all the brighter next to his green hair.

“You look the same,” Byleth blurted out.

He truly did. His hair and face were the same, even his vestments were unchanged.

Seteth smiled. “So do you. You look like you haven’t aged a day.”

Byleth blinked. He hadn’t considered that before. No wonder people kept looking at him like they had seen a ghost.

Seteth took Byleth’s hand. “Come. Let us celebrate for now. We can talk more later of what has gone on while you were away.”

Byleth nodded and let himself be pulled back into the fray.

It was a strange night. He listened as the students caught up with each other. They lamented losses at battles, short supplies, hard environments. They shared nostalgia for their time at the Officer’s Academy. Everyone was happy to see each other, and elated to see Byleth, but they all held the weight of the war heavy on their shoulders.

The gathering’s numbers dwindled as the night wore on, people going off to find rooms to sleep in. Eventually, Byleth stood and stretched.

“I think it’s time I try to get some sleep,” he said. Seteth stood as well. “Allow me to accompany you. The usual path to the dorms was damaged, so we have to take a different route.”

Byleth let him come, and once they were out of sight of the last of the students, he reached for Seteth’s hand. They walked in a companionable silence through the barren halls. It felt strange the way that listening to the students felt strange. Byleth supposed he would get used to it eventually.

When he arrived at his dorm, he found it had been left untouched, even after multiple Imperial attacks and years of thieving. Looking at it felt almost alien to Byleth. Then, he realized that in the last week or more before he fell, he had spent more nights in Seteth’s bed than his own.

“Is something the matter?” Seteth asked, breaking the silence.

Byleth chewed on his lip. Then, he sighed, and asked, “Can I— can I stay with you tonight?”

A number of expressions passed Seteth’s face, but the one that finally solidified there was a smile. 

“Of course,” he said.

Seteth’s room felt like coming home. It looked and felt and smelled all the same. Though it embarrassed him, one of the first things Byleth did was dive onto the bed and bury his face in one of the pillows.

Seteth laughed. “Come now! You haven’t even changed, yet. You’ll dirty the sheets.”

Blushing, Byleth let himself be pulled back up.

“It… It doesn’t feel like any time has passed to me, but… I still missed being here,” he said.

Seteth’s face softened. “I missed having you here,” he said. “I missed you in my bed, and in my office… I even missed you in battle.”

Seteth took in a shaky breath, and Byleth watched a tear skip down his cheek.

“Oh, Byleth,” Seteth said, his voice quiet. “I thought I would never see you again.”

Byleth didn’t know what to say, so he just stepped forward and pulled Seteth into his embrace. Seteth wrapped his arms around Byleth in turn, holding him tight. They stood like that for a while, silent except for an occasional sniff from Seteth.

They continued to hold each other through the night, sometimes exchanging kisses, but otherwise remaining still in each other’s arms. Seteth didn’t want to let go, as if afraid that Byleth would disappear if he did, so Byleth let him hold on. A part of Byleth was afraid, too. He was afraid that he was still at the bottom of the ravine, merely dreaming. Only the heat and solidness of Seteth reminded him that it was all real.

The next morning, Seteth briefed Byleth on everything that had happened. He had been forced to leave Garreg Mach along with everyone else after the battle was lost and Lady Rhea went missing. He tried to keep the church in order in her stead, but he was losing numbers every year. Returning to Garreg Mach at the time of the Millennium celebration was his last ditch effort to establish an anchor, something for the populace to hold onto.

“With you and the students here, I’m starting to feel hopeful that we may be able to hold Garreg Mach and regain some control,” he said, looking lighter than he had for most of their conversation.

However, the weight seemed to reappear as soon as it was lifted. Seteth stopped the stroll they had been on together and turned to Byleth fully.

“As much as I would like to have your aid in all his,” he said, “I can’t accept it until I’ve told you a few things.”

Seteth turned. Their walk had taken them to the cathedral, and he gazed at the stained glass portrait of Saint Seiros as he spoke.

“I haven’t been completely truthful with you about myself,” he said. “About who I am. About my connection to Rhea. What I am about to tell you, only she, myself, and Flayn know. However, I could not, in good faith, continue to work with you, to— to _be_ with you, unless I told you the truth.”

And then, Seteth told him. He told him that he was Saint Cichol, one of the first children of Sothis, that Flayn was Saint Cethleanne, and Lady Rhea was Saint Seiros herself. Byleth nodded along gravely. Lady Rhea’s transformation made more sense, now.

“And Flayn is not my sister. She is… she is my daughter,” Seteth finished. “I portray us as siblings so as to be less suspicious to the public. It is dangerous otherwise. Think of why Flayn was kidnapped, the day that you rescued her.”

Byleth nodded. It was a lot to take in, but he still had one question that rose above all of the others swirling in his head.

“Were you able to find out any more about me?”

Seteth sighed. “No. All of my research in the past five years came up short. And Rhea did not keep any journals, so with her missing, I’m afraid…”

“I understand,” Byleth said. He would need to help Seteth recover Lady Rhea if he wanted answers, it seemed.

“I understand if you need time to think, Byleth,” Seteth said.

“I do,” Byleth said.

Seteth nodded. Please, come find me when you are ready, then.” Turning away, he walked back down the aisle towards the door.

“Seteth.”

Seteth stopped and turned back.

Byleth swallowed. “Thank you. For telling me.”

Seteth smiled just a little.

Byleth spent most of the day thinking. He wandered the grounds, speaking to returning knights and his former students when he came across them, but mostly walking alone. There were so many things to consider.

Did the centuries of difference between their ages mean anything? Did Seteth’s immortality? Did Byleth trust Seteth to feel the same? Did he trust Seteth to mean what he said about Byleth’s own past, knowing how close he and Lady Rhea are?

Byleth thought about it for a long time. He thought himself into circles.

Eventually, he just had to go with his gut.

When he returned to Seteth’s office, it was late. The door was locked, and there was no light seeping out from the crack at the bottom. So, Byleth took the familiar route to Seteth’s room, set apart from the rest of the dormitories. It almost felt inappropriate, knocking on Seteth’s door late at night, but Byleth steeled himself and did it anyway. The wait felt agonizing, but it was worth getting to see the man’s face again, haloed by the light of the room behind him.

“Byleth?”

Byleth led with a kiss. Seteth blinked at him when he pulled away, emotions warring over his features.

“May I come in?” Byleth asked, smiling.

That seemed to snap Seteth out of it. “Oh. Yes, of course,” he said, stepping aside to allow Byleth entry.

Byleth walked in, waited for Seteth to close the door and turn back to him.

“I… thought about it,” he said. “And, I just thought of when I asked you to promise that you saw me and liked me not just because of my connection to the Goddess.” He took a careful breath. “What I like about you hasn’t changed. I still like you for your steadiness and dedication, your stern kindness to others, your love of stories, your belief in the goodness of others…”

Seteth laughed a choked laugh. His eyes were wet.

Byleth went on. “And I trust you. What I know about you and Lady Rhea doesn’t change that I trust that you have been still telling me the truth otherwise. About me, I mean.” He ran a hand through his hair. “I don’t think I’ve used this many words to try to explain something before. What I mean is— is I don’t want things to change between us. They don’t have to. I— I—”

Byleth was saved from his fumbling by Seteth suddenly wrapping his arms around him. He grunted as he was lifted up, Seteth twirling around with him. Seteth’s laughter tickled his ear.

When Seteth put him down and stepped back, Byleth saw the tear track on one cheek, but he also saw his broad smile.

“Oh, Byleth… I have not been this happy in quite some time,” Seteth said.

Byleth couldn’t help but kiss him.

They fell into each other, kissing and clutching at each other in frantic joy. Eventually, they made it to the bed, divested of their day clothes. Seteth propped himself up on his elbows above Byleth. Byleth ran his fingers through Seteth’s hair. Seteth pet Byleth’s thigh. When Byleth shifted his hips, he could feel Seteth’s erection through their smalls.

Seteth smiled and nipped at the skip where Byleth’s neck met his shoulder. “What would you like to do, my dear?”

In lieu of a verbal response, Byleth flipped them both so he was on top. Seteth laughed.

“You could only do that because I was caught off guard, you know,” he teased.

“I _am_ best known for my strategy,” Byleth replied, grinning.

Seteth smiled back, tugging at Byleth’s trouser laces. “Come here, I want to get my mouth on you.”

Byleth let Seteth lick and suck at him until his cock was swollen and he had started to rock his hips against Seteth’s face. Then, he rid Seteth of the rest of his own clothes, taking a moment to admire the shape of him. Byleth couldn’t help teasing Seteth with his mouth a little in turn.

“B-Byleth—” Seteth stammered. “Please, I won’t last if you keep going like this.”

Byleth eventually relented. He had been fingering himself while he sucked Seteth’s cock, so there was little prep left to be done. Byleth had been plenty wet, but Seteth fetched the oil anyway, making Byleth wait while he slicked himself.

Still, it was worth it. Mounting Seteth felt better and easier than anything Byleth had done in a long while.

Byleth rode Seteth fast and hard, shaking the bed-frame as he moved. He could have gone more slowly, drawn out the drag and heat of Seteth inside him, but he was done waiting. He was done making Seteth wait. He knew what he wanted, and that was Seteth squirming beneath him, flushed all the way down his chest, gripping the sheets in his fists. He wanted Seteth, all of him, in as many ways as they could possibly contrive, over and over again until Byleth was as old as sin, and then maybe another time after that. Byleth wanted with a fire he hadn’t felt before. It was too much, too much for words.

“Byleth,” Seteth groaned beneath him. “Byleth, I’m—”

Byleth lifted himself off of Seteth’s cock, and Seteth spilled over his stomach with a moan louder than Byleth had ever heard from him. Then, Byleth bent over and let Seteth thrust his fingers in and out of him until he came as well, his face buried in the mattress.

When they collapsed next to each other, boneless and out of breath, Byleth was struck by how happy he was. There was a lot behind it, more than one simple act with one person, but it was the first time that Byleth was able to lay back and appreciate it all. There was much to be done ahead, things that would be more difficult than Byleth had ever done, but for a moment, Byleth felt like he could do anything.

“You’re smiling,” Seteth said, gently brushing a stray hair from Byleth’s face. “What are you thinking about?”

Byleth smiled a little wider. “That I love you, and I’m ready to end this war with you.”

Seteth smiled back, like the sun rising over the hills. “I love you, too. I’m happy to have you with me.”


End file.
